NEW! Faster Search Option
Loading
Neck Pain
I've started to do more hand tool work lately and found that after an hour or two at the bench my neck is killing me. Does anyone else have this problem? Perhaps I need a taller bench? My bench is 34" and I'm 6'. Any suggestions?
Print this page
Email this MessageNavigation
Recent Discussions
Lift mechanism needed 7 replies
Old plane vs new 8 replies
That "special" tool 6 replies
Buy American made 1 reply
Re: Holzman and Vega lathes 3 replies
Inca/Delta 20" Bandsaws 4 replies
Cast Iron Clamp 4 replies
Building a Floor Clook 1 reply
Music Boxes 1 reply
Star of David 3 replies
Hand Tool Grinding Angle Setups 11 replies
More Rust Hunter 1 reply
Lie-Nielsen Router Plane 3 replies
Regarding sharpening 2 replies
looking for lignum vitae mallet 28 replies
Best saw for dovetails 4 replies
Half lap joints 2 replies
Rolltop desk top 3 replies
Large Pins, small tails 4 replies
Adhesive to use for laminating MDF? 8 replies
Seasonal movement of Cherry 3 replies
Boxwood 5 replies
More on cutting thin cuts 4 replies
Can't see any videos 2 replies
Forced log-offs . . . again? 4 replies
Fix: Private Messaging Spam 13 replies
Get in touch with author 1 reply
i am so tempeted to say if (post #169779, reply #1 of 17)
i am so tempeted to say if you have a pain in the neck you should divorce her but I am not going to stoop to juvenile humor, I'm just not going to do it, besides you just might be a her. Instead I'll ask what kind of work are you doing during the hour or two? Can some of it be done sitting on a stool? 34 inches seems a little low. The three benches I use most are 37, 36 and 34, but the 34 is used mostly for assembly. If I have to plane I use the 36. The 37 is built into the wall and collects stuff. I'm 5'11'' and shrinking in my old age. Not sure if any of this helps. Try looking at the specs for workbenches and see what is being sold. good luck.
Haha. That's funny! I am a (post #169779, reply #2 of 17)
Haha. That's funny! I am a her, but my girlfriend is a her too, so it's still the right pronoun. The only way in which she's a pain in the neck, though, is that the project i'm hurting my neck building is a gift for her. :)
Anyway, lately tasks have been mostly things like planing, chiseling, and sharpening. I guess some of that I could do sitting down, but some I can't. Tonight I chiseled 4 mortises and by that point it hurt enough that I had to stop. Maybe I will get (or build) a stool and do what I can sitting down... that's a good idea.
Neck pain. (post #169779, reply #3 of 17)
Well the six foot said him but the pixi said her so I covered my bases. I was always thinking about building a stool for the shop but one day I saw a SnapOn stool at Costco for the right price and bought one. SnapOn is the company that sells automotive tools direct to the mechanics and their stool had five wheels and a big range of vertical adjustment and I have found it perfect for my shop. That was a couple of years ago and I haven't seen it at Costco since.
It is strange that only your neck is hurting and not your back. I am doing a lot more hand tool work these days and at 72 years of age I expect a few pains here and there but I have never had one in my neck working in the shop. There are a few Drs doing woodworking out there and hopefully one will see this thread and give a little free advice. But it still just might be the height of the bench. Things have been a little slow on the FWW Knots forum so it might take time. The Burl is another site you might try.
It sure is more fun building something for a loved one but if the gift is for Valentine's Day, it's coming up fast... three days and counting. Have fun.
Yeah, maybe I should just buy (post #169779, reply #6 of 17)
Yeah, maybe I should just buy one. At my pace it might be years before I get around to building it and I'm sure my head will fall off my shoulders long before then.
It does seem strange that it's my neck, but thinking about it I do find myself standing straight looking down quite a bit. Maybe just keeping my body a bit further from the bench and bending over more will help. Hmm.
Anyway, nice looking stool. (and nice looking shop!)
Experiment first (post #169779, reply #13 of 17)
Since you have a bench I'd try raising it up on 2x4s or 4x4s or some combination until you get a height that feels good. Then you can come up with a permanent solution to keep the bench at the new height. I did that and ended up with the top at 42" from the floor.
bench top bench (post #169779, reply #4 of 17)
You might want to try the bench top bench that Jeff Miller put together in issue 176. It will raise the height of your precision work like sawing and chopping DT's to a comfortable level. My primary vise bench is at 33 1/2" which is comfortable for planing, routing and the like but for precision work it's a pain in the... well you know. The one I made elevates my effective working height to 46" and has eliminated the need for acetaminophen after a dovetail session.
The article is in the plans & projects section, sorry I can't seem to get the link to work.
That's a good idea! That way (post #169779, reply #7 of 17)
That's a good idea! That way I can work at a lower or higher height without having to choose just one. I'll take a look at it. Thanks.
Pains and the location thereof (post #169779, reply #5 of 17)
At a height of 6' (I'm going to try to avoid making any tall pixi jokes ;-) ), I'd concur that your 34" bench may be too short for some operations. But, perhaps not for others. Posture, stance and movement can also make a difference in how the work will affect your spine. Arm length, in addition to height, can also play a role in what might be most comfortable for you, individually.
In addition to using a stool for some operations, you might also consider using an auxiliary vice to raise the work to a more comfortable height. If you do a search on the Moxon Vise, you'll see one approach to accomplishing this.
I'm only 5'8" (and, shrinking), so my experience may not translate well for you. My "bench" is actually an old 36" x 72" wooden desk that I've converted for woodworking. As such, I do a lot of work sitting in a secretarial chair, partly due to the fact that I injured my back some years ago. My make-do bench is OK for chisel work, but it's too low for planing, even for my stubby body.
That looks cool too. I'll (post #169779, reply #8 of 17)
That looks cool too. I'll take a look that vise as well and one way or another get my workpieces up a bit higher. Thanks for the suggestion.
I just saw a letter to the (post #169779, reply #9 of 17)
I just saw a letter to the editor in the current Fine Woodworking mag from a six foot one inch guy having a problem with a 34 inch bench. If you don't have that issue I'll copy it for you, just say the word. His solution was to go way way higher.
Oh, if you don't mind copying (post #169779, reply #10 of 17)
Oh, if you don't mind copying it that would be great. I just subscribed to the printed magazine but haven't received my first issue yet. Thanks!
Letter to editor. (post #169779, reply #11 of 17)
This was in FWW #225 March/April This is what D. Robert Wiemer of Houston Texas wrote:
"One work-surface height does not fit all. It was dissappointing to see once again (FWW #223), a number of projects that define a work surface at a particular height - most notably a rather low 34 in. surface in "Build Your First Workbench." A number of years ago, after a painful day over just such a bench, I realized that this height was rediculous for a 6-ft.-1-in. person. So I raised my benches, finding that heights of 40 in. or even 42 in. are far more comfortable for me. Your readers should be encouraged to find their own ideal working height when building benches that they will be using for many years."
The editor replies that the task matters and that routing is best done at belly height and handplaning works better at hip height and that in plans they generally shoot for average height. Hope this helps a bit.
heights (post #169779, reply #12 of 17)
Basing a bench height solely on the height of the woodworker may be as bad as using "standard" heights. Doing so assumes that everyone has the same leg/torso ratio and the same arm length, which, of course, is not the case.
Contrary to the advice in "The Hitchhiker's Guide", 42 (inches) may not be the answer to everything. ;-)
Thanks a lot. This weekend I (post #169779, reply #14 of 17)
Thanks a lot. This weekend I mader some risers out of 4x4s that raise the bench 3 1/2 inches. I haven't had much time to use it yet, though so I'm not sure if it helps.
A sure cure for back and neck pain. (post #169779, reply #15 of 17)
A sure cure for back and neck pain. When the bench falls off the 4x4s and lands on your foot you will forget about the neck pain completely. : )
Have fun, be safe.
Pain in the neck etc. (post #169779, reply #17 of 17)
Yah that happens to me to. Always at work. I get a pain in the general area where I sit to. Again . . . always at work.
It is sooooo weird, to, because when I get home and I am on the couch with my lap top on my lap, usually talking to you people, it totally goes away.
Do you think it has to do with some field the lap top is emitting ?
Gosh ! I hope it is safe.
Life is so mysterious.
roc
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Buy or build? (post #169779, reply #16 of 17)
Might I suggest that you buy first and build later? That way you will have the commercial stool to support you and alleviate your pain while you are being productive. While a stool is a cool project the reality is that projects for ourselves fall to the bottom of the list and remain there while your enjoyment for our craft dwindles. Please don't let this happen.
Chiz
PS If you are interested in a free opinion on your neck please contact me by e-mail through this website. I promise that it will be worth the price. (wink)